


Kisses

by artzygirl2525



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blue Kiss, Candy Fetish, First Kiss, Fluff, Keith Is A Willing Teacher, Lance Is An Oblivious SweetHeart, Lots of Cursing, M/M, Might Continue This Story If People Like It Enough, Misunderstandings, One Kiss, Red Kiss, Sloppy Makeouts, Two Kiss, Warning For Non-Con In Later Chapters Though I'll Most Likely Just Imply It And Not Give Details, enjoy sinners, gays in space, ptsd mention, see what i did there? LOL
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-07-23 20:29:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7478853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artzygirl2525/pseuds/artzygirl2525
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance Asks Keith For Some Kisses<br/>...<br/>Note: This Is A Romantic Comedy About Two Idiots Head Over Heels For Each Other. Nothing But Shenenigans Happens In This Story. Sheneigans and Angst. You've Been Warned. X3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Give Me A Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I'm Not Sorry  
> ...  
> EDIT: I Went Through And Fixed A Few Grammatical/Spelling Errors But I'm Still Sorry For Any That You Might Find! I Wrote This In Five Hours What Do You Expect? XD Enjoy!

    He has a way with words but has never had good communication skills.

      Hell, he can barely give someone the time of day, never mind tell someone how he’s feeling.

      And this, is why the blue paladin has holed himself up in his room, wrapped himself up in a mountain of blankets, and is refusing to let anyone come in and bother him; no matter how many goodies they bring, nor how many times they plead.

      The act that’d transpired merely moments ago is still fresh in his mind, still playing on a loop and teasing him, still pulling on his heartstrings, still dancing around the taste buds on his tongue-

      Lance digs his chewed nails into his head and shakes the feeling off. “It’s not like I’d meant for it to come off that way! If anything it was Keith’s fault for misinterpreting what I said!” He tries to convince himself. “Yeah… Yeah! It’s all Keith’s fault!” The once lifeline-like blankets are thrown everywhere as the teen springs up and begins to pace. “Yeah! Stupid Keith with his stupid sweet tooth and stupid bag of candy, stupid toned calves, muscular thighs, pretty face and eyes that you could get lost in and-!” He skids to a halt as he realizes the words that’ve been fumbled out of his mouth are more than just a little bit gay.

      _No, calm down._ Lance inhales deeply and closes his eyes. _You haven’t been found out yet. For all you know, Keith also just thinks this is a misunderstanding. You have nothing to worry about. Nobody’s caught on to your bisexuality… yet._ _Just lie low for the next twenty four hours and you should be fine. Yes. Absolutely fine. As fine as Keith’s ass-_

       “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” He screams at the top of his lungs, throws himself onto his bed and buries his face in his pillow, not wanting to think about it anymore. “It was an accident! A stupid, misunderstanding that resulted in a quick peck on the lips! That’s all it was!” Lance groans into the tiny kitty cat pillow and blushes deeply.

      A quick peck on the lips is definitely an understatement but hey, if it makes him feel any better-

      _I can’t like_ _Keith. I_ can’t _…_ He repeats over and over again, sweating more than a sinner would in church.

      But if we’re being honest here, he can and he has.

      Ever since they’ve been in flight school together, Lance has found himself wondering what it’d be like to kiss Keith’s lip balm laced lips or run his hands through Keith’s silky black hair.

      It’s a fantasy that should’ve just stayed a fantasy but became a cold, hard, awkward & tension laced reality today.

      Cold fronted, stubborn ass Keith is not exactly the first guy he’d wanted to have a crush on. He’d thought for sure it would’ve been someone in the same line of work as him with a great sense of humor and not too bad of a body. Someone with silky hair and eyes that glow like the sun, who could protect him when he couldn’t protect himself-

      _AND OH MY I’M GAY FOR KEITH._ Realization hits him like a ton of bricks and the feeling of being uncomfortable in his own skin worsens. This can’t be happening to him.

      He’s in his room, thinking about Keith. _Goddam_ Keith _of all people-_ _Why couldn’t it have been Allura or hell, I’d even settle for nerdy gender-neutral Pidge at this point!_ But alas, he finds his thoughts stuck on the red paladin he’s just locked lips with.

The room feels hotter than it was a few seconds ago and Lance’s jacket and pillow soon join the blankets lining his floor. His bed bare, he lays back and looks up at his star covered ceiling. Why Coran couldn’t have given him a room with a skylight or at least a few windows is beyond him, but at least he’d been considerate enough to give him a hologram projector to make up for it.

      _Though fake stars could never compare to the real thing-_ Lance shakes his head _. No, stop it. As much as it pains you to remind yourself of what’s just happened, you need to focus and find a way to clear the air between you and Keith. If I don’t we won’t be able to form Voltron and everyone will be suspicious of us…_ His eyes wander amongst the stars. _Got to…_ The room darkens. _Clear…_ His limbs grow heavy. _This up…_ And soon, the confused teenager’s eyes have closed shut for the evening, leaving Lance to relive his existential crisis in his dreams.

…

      It all started when Coran reminded everyone what day it was.

      Friday night.

      Movie night.

      And upon its announcement, all of the popcorn in the castle had been popped, all of the candy equally distributed, all of the villains taken care of, and all of the training for the day completed (and in record time at that!).

      On the rounded sofa sat Allura with Coran putting space in between her and handsy Lance, and Hunk with Pidge, who watched half the movie upside down before realizing their error and then sticking to the yellow paladin’s side like glue for the rest of the night with their legs sprawled across his lap and their head resting on his shoulder.

      On the floor was a tear stricken Shiro with his tiny packet of tissues he thought no one could see being pulled from his pocket, and Keith who couldn’t seem to care less about the film of choice for tonight: _It’s a Wonderful Life._

      A wonderful movie really; it’s a classic still hailed as one of the greats even two millennial’s later. And they’d thought so too the first time they watched it.

      And the second time.

      And the third time…

      But much less so the fourth time… Because after that, instead of picking out all of the good things about the film, they’d started to notice all of the bad things. Tiny errors in the script, costume details, boom mics being caught in the camera shots, _anything_ to just to pass the time.

      And they’d keep doing this until Shiro chose something else when it was his turn to host Movie Night. I mean seriously, it’s the year three thousand and… something. They have a wide variety-no, a _universe_ full of movies to choose from. Why Shiro was stuck on this one was beyond anyone.

      But we digress.

      After the movie was over everyone retired for the night. A passed out Pidge was carried to their room by “big brother” Hunk, Allura was escorted to her room by Coran, and even an ever sleep deprived and PTSD haunted Shiro had sauntered off to his room to catch some Z’s.

      But not Lance.

      Lance the night owl, the lone wolf, had different plans. He didn’t need to be in a group to have fun! He could have fun all by himself. Flipping through the channels, it wasn’t long before he finally found a station that caught his eyes. A station that him and his mom would watch together: TLC. And it just so happened that his favorite program was on too. Score.

      He’d have the TV to himself for another hour before the castle turned off its inner workings to turn on its outer defenses.

      Yes, right now was a perfect time for him to be his flamboyantly gay and judgmental self. Or so he thought.

      Because a half hour into watching Fashion Runway: Star Wars Edition, and a figure got up from the floor, scared the wits out of him and squeezed a small shriek out of his lungs.

      And, _of course_ , it had to have been none other than Keith.

      Keith, the guy he used to like in flight training school and whom he thought he’d got away from.

      Keith, the bastard who always got one percent higher on every written test than him.

      Keith, the guy who uses all the hot water in the castle for his shower and leaves none for anyone else.

      Stupid- No.

      Hot headed- No.

      _Flawless_  Keith was alone with him minutes before the castle lights were scheduled to be shut off.

      It was both a blessing and a curse.

      “What’re you trying to do? Wake the whole castle?” The red paladin furrows his brow at Lance, picks up his candy bag and plops himself down on the sofa next to him, “Shut up.”

      “W-What’re you? I thought that everyone had-!” Lance fumbles for words as Keith’s gaze continues to narrow in his direction.

      “Did you not hear what I just said?” Keith shoves a red raspberry Dot into Lance’s mouth and turns his attention back to the skinny model’s strutting themselves down the star coated runway. “Shut up. I’m watchin’ here.”

      The blue paladin just stares and chews on the sweet morsel, unable to put together enough words to ask what the fuck is happening right now.

      He didn’t think the rude lion would be into something like this, yet Keith seems to be as interested in the show as he is. It makes him a tiny bit happy he chose to watch it. And he’d be even happier if Keith wasn’t in his personal space.

      _Why is he sitting so close to me?_ Lance swallows hard. The space between them is but a few inches, allowing the scent of Keith’s cologne to consume his senses. _It’s sweet yet subtle and would definitely be popular with the ladies- or men if he batted for that team- WHOA WAIT A SECOND-_

      Lance shakes the thought off without hesitation, not wanting to make the moment awkward with his stupidity. _There’s no way that Keith could be… gay. He’s too pretty-_ handsome _for that…_ The thought strikes a chord in the blue paladin and he can’t help but get a little jealous at the thought of his crush- _rival_ being coddled by another woman or worshipped by a slew of fangirls.

      “-ance? Lance?” Keith waves a hand in front of his face, his eyebrow raised, “LANCE!”

      “YES!” Lance barks and pops his thought bubble to lock eyes with his beckoner.

      “You’ve been staring at me for the past five minutes dude,” Keith grunts and pops another piece of candy into his mouth. “What the fuck do you want?”

      “M-Me? W-Want something from you?” Lance stutters and tries to push past all of the previous thoughts crowding his mind, “D-Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I want something from you of all people? I hate you.”

      “Thanks for the reminder,” Keith rolls his eyes, “Now, why are you staring at me?” His face goes from disgusted to devious in a matter of seconds. “Oh I get it,” He pulls a Red Vine out of his candy bag and takes a nice, slow, teasing bite out of one side, “You’re a pervert aren’t you?” Another puckish bite and Lance can’t hold back the blush crossing his cheeks. “Watching people eat gets you off doesn’t it?”

      “W-What!? N-No! That’s sick!” The blue paladin averts his gaze back to the TV.

      _Mayday Mayday! You’re gonna crash if you don’t save yourself soon Lance!_ His thoughts are swimming and Keith’s bullet-like gaze is not helping either. _Just tell him that you were eyeing the candy in his bag and were scared to ask him for a piece!_ _Yeah! That should be good enough! Man I’m a genius!_

      Unable to think of a better excuse, Lance man’s up, resumes eye contact and smiles, “Give me a few Kisses Keith!” He’s always been a sucker for the little tin foil wrapped treat, and surely the red paladin must have some left in his candy bag. He’d had more than enough earlier on in the night after all.

      Keith chokes on the Red Vine he’s stuffed into his mouth, “ACK-!” And he can’t help but adopt a confused and startled look towards Lance’s inquisition. “You want me to give you _WHAT_?”

      “I want you to give me a few Kisses!” Lance repeats, unsure why it’s such a problem. “Come on, don’t be so stingy. You have more than enough to share with me right?” Keith clears his throat and raises an eyebrow again.

      “I… guess so… I just never thought you’d ask me for one directly.” Keith admits, “Actually, it’s more like I’ve never pictured you as someone who likes them from people like me.”

      “What’re you talking about? A Kiss is a Kiss.” Lance sighs, irritated that his request has yet to be met, “Just stop talking and gimme some will ya? I don’t have all night ya know. It’s lights out soon.”

      “Fine,” Keith sets down his candy bag and Lance swallows hard. Why did he do that? “But if you’re a lousy kisser I’m not going to be afraid to tell you.”

      _And why is he getting closer to me?_

      “Wait, what-?” Lance’s rebuttal is cut off as the red paladin’s lips mesh with his. “Mmmph!” His eyes are blown wide in surprise as he realizes he’s done it yet again; communicated improperly that is. While this is definitely more than he bargained for, he’ll take this over a _Hershey Kiss_ any day.

      Surprisingly, the kiss isn’t terrible. After all, Lance’s kissed a few people in his time and he’s pretty sure Keith has as well.

      This makes the kiss that much better, deeper and more passionate and, much to his surprise, Lance soon finds himself pulling away for a breath of air. He locks eyes with a red faced and panting Keith almost immediately.

      “W-Whoa… T-That was…” Keith puffs softly and bites his lip, not wanting to admit to Lance the enjoyment he’d just gotten out of their little moment, “Ahem- I mean, you said a few. You backing out on me after only one?”

      “Not a chance…” Lance’s face nears his. Inches away from his lips and beckoned by Keith’s sweet aroma, the blue paladin can’t help but timidly lean in to meet him halfway. The action is slight and brings a soft smile to the Keith’s lips but regardless, he’s not going to have that.

      He has Lance flat on his back in seconds, his waist straddled in an instant and his lips held captive by his own in no time. This is definitely not how Lance had foreseen the rest of his night going but hell he wasn’t going to protest it.

       How could he?

      Keith’s body fits so perfectly flush against his, his lips soft and needy, move in perfect harmony with his own and only encourage him to tighten his grip on Keith’s waist. But then Keith starts to experiment and Lance starts to lose it.

      A kiss on the lips soon turns to a nibble of his jaw, which turns into a kiss along the crook of his neck, then a bite and a long, painful suck until Lance finally realizes that Keith is no longer being gentle with him. He’s marking him up as his property.

      _Well two can play at that game._ Lance sits up, grips Keith’s wrists and as soon at the teen rises from his work to protest, Lance silences him with a smothering kiss, then a nibble of his jaw, a kiss along the crook of his neck, then a bite and a long and painful suck until-

      “L-Lance…” Keith lurches forward and moans softly into the frozen teen’s ear. His breath is hot against his already lit skin. This is becoming a lot more than he bargained for. For instance, what if Hunk has a late night snack craving, or Shiro wakes up early from his night terror? God if they walk in on him and Keith right now, Lance is sure he could just about die- “L-Lance…” Keith groans and snaps Lance back into focus. Even though he can’t see the stubborn jerks face, he’s sure it’s as lit as the sun and as bashful as that bunny from Bambi, “P-Please do that again…” Lance swallows hard and leans in once more.

      “This?” He dips his teeth into the crook of Keith’s neck once more and the paladin jerks in his arms and digs his nails into his back. “YE-OUCH!”

      “S-Sorry…” Keith pants and eases his grip, “Sorry... Just please… K-Keep doing that…”

      “And you thought I was the one with the eating fetish hm?” Lance hums, painting Keith’s neck and shoulders with bright red kiss marks. Keith shudders with every new one he makes, “Do you like this Keith?” Keith gives a slight squeak in reply, but that’s not the answer Lance is looking for so he starts to bury his teeth deeper and bite harder. “Mmm I bet you’d love it if I just ate you up wouldn’t you?” Lance bites down sharply and draws a long hiss from between Keith’s teeth. “Right Keith?”

      “B-Bastard…” Keith manages to get out before a moan slips through his quivering lips. He’s gone from the Master to the Apprentice in no time flat.

      “On no no no,” Lance tuts, and trails kisses back up Keith’s neck, stopping to hover over his quivering lips. “You have to be good if you expect to get something in return.” The blue paladin reaches over the coffee table into Keith’s candy bag, pulls out a KitKat bar and begins to unwrap it slowly. All the while he can feel the strain in his pants grow and match Keith’s whose flush against him. “Good boy’s gets sweets. Bad boy’s get nothing. Which one are you Keith?” Lance throws half of the tasty treat back onto the table and places the other half in between his teeth.

      “Y-You’re a jerk-,” Keith blushes deeply and wraps his arms around Lance’s neck and broad shoulders. He’s never realized how big Lance’s build is. From afar he looks rather flimsy and weak but now that Keith’s gotten a better look at him-

      _Fuck it._ Keith quickly snaps at the chocolate bar between Lance’s teeth and misses as the blue paladin sucks it into his cheeks.

      “Oh I’m sorry, did you want some?” Lance munches through a laugh, teasing the stubborn teen on top of him is just too much fun.

 _This son of a bitch…_ Keith grits his teeth and grabs Lance by the shirt collar. _He thinks he’s so suave just because he found one of my soft spots. Well I’ll show him. He’s not the only one who can play dirty._

      “Whatcha gonna do about it pretty boy hm?” Lance hums, still munching away. “You gonna moan and beg me for some mor-?”

      Keith does the exact opposite and takes what he wants.

      With Lance’s shirt bunched up in his fists, he yanks him into a brutal kiss. Caught off guard, it’s a piece of cake for Keith to slip his tongue in between Lance’s plush lips and get a taste of the crispy treat.

      And Lance is dumbfounded. Unable to process what’s going on, unable to protest, he leans into the kiss and the hands that slowly rise up from his shirt to cup his cheeks. Keith’s tongue is timid but able to fit snug against his own.

      The taste of cherry blends in with chocolate. Lance makes a note to eat a box of Dots later so he can tie it to the memory of Keith.

      A lick to the roof of his mouth and Keith is a goner, leaning back in Lance’s tightened grip around the small of his back. That’s his weakest link and he mentally curses himself for giving it away. Lance smirks triumphantly, “Kinky Keith~” He purrs.

      “Don’t you dare call me that,” Keith growls against Lance’s kiss crazy lips.

      “Kinky Keith,” Lance purrs even louder and goes in for the kill only to be punched in the gut. The blue paladin doubles over and gasps for air. “What the fuck was that for-?!” His refute gets caught in his throat as Keith’s hands scope out his inner thighs.

      “I said…” Keith mumbles, and amps up the seduction in his eyes and adds husk to his voice. Lance double over once again but for a different reason and begins to shake in Keith’s hold.

      “K-Keith… b-buddy… P-Pal... W-What're you d-doing?” Lance whimpers and pulls at the red paladin for another kiss but Keith eludes his eager lips easily.

      “I said,” Keith repeats and hovers his lips over Lance’s teasingly, his breath hot against his cheeks. “Don’t call me that…”

      Keith’s hands trail closer and closer towards Lance’s heated and swollen core. They snake over to their objective painstakingly slow. So slow that Lance wonders if he’ll break just from the mere thought of Keith touching him.

      Too bad he doesn’t get to ride out his hypothesis.

…

      “Hey asshole!”

      Lance is rudely awoken from his slumber by the very last person he wants to see right now.

      Keith.

      Now as true as this may be, Lance also doesn’t feel like picking a fight this early in the morning, so he settles for a groan and rolls over so his back is to Keith.

      “Everyone’s ready to leave for the mission and you’re still in your PJ’s! Get the hell up!” Keith fumes but Lance isn’t having it. This only makes Keith angrier. “Don’t make me come over there!”

      “Just, five more minutes Keith, I don’t feel well-…” Is all he manages to get out before he’s tossed onto his back. The black haired teen looms over him with a snarl on his face but that’s not what causes the hard swallow traveling down Lance’s throat. No sir, it’s the overwhelming flood of memory’s from last night that’s tied to the position they’re in that does the trick. “What the hell man I said five more minutes-!” Lances whips his head to the side, avoiding Keith’s gaze, only to be brought back to his attention by a pair of small callused hands.

      “Look, I know things got… heated last night but,” Keith bites his lip and then sighs, “But I want you to know I didn’t hate it. If you did that’s fine. I won’t blame you if you want to forget it ever happened. But I won’t.” A blush crosses Keith’s cheeks and Lance isn’t far behind. Lance’s never seen Keith look/be so honest before. It’s a nice change of speed. “Just,” Keith plants a soft kiss on Lance’s slightly parted lips and then removes himself from the shell shocked paladin, “Promise me that you’ll think about this. Think about us. I don’t need an answer right away but I’d like to know you’ll at least give it some thought. Will you?”

      How could he say no to him?

      Lance gives a slight nod and Keith let’s out a sigh of relief.

      “Alright, then I’ll go and tell the others you’re on your way.” The automatic doors open for the blushing teen, “See you soon.” And then close behind him as he dashes off to fulfill his verbal obligation.

      Lance just lays there, searching the stars lining his ceiling for answers as to why it had to have been Keith who woke him up this morning.

      Keith, the guy he used to like in flight training school and whom he thought he’d got away from.

      Keith, the bastard who always got one percent higher on every written test than him.

      Keith, the guy who uses all the hot water in the castle for his shower and leaves none for anyone else.

      Why did it have to be stupid- no.

      Hot headed- no.

      _Gorgeous_ Keith, that he was so equally stupid in love with?


	2. Distract Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot is introduced and Keith distracts Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, this might seem like a pretty serious plot I'm going with, but I can assure you that it is going to be nothing but laughs. I literally have 5 pages of jokes already written out that I'm dying to use. You've been warned. XD  
> ...  
> Side Note!: This Chapter is 18 Pages long, over 7,000 Words (mostly because I enjoyed writing it!), and was written in 6 hours! Enjoy! ^w^

      Lance isn’t an only child.

      Believe it or not, he has enough siblings to start a baseball team. And that’s just what he’d done when he was back on Earth.

      The Strikin’ Sanchez’s were the best team in the neighborhood league. Lance was the pitcher, his brother’s and sister’s made up the in and out fields, his Papa was the catcher and his Momma lead the cheer squad of those too little to play ball. They’d practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the neighborhood banded together at the end of the week to play against one another.

      Yes, Sunday’s there would be mini tournaments. The games would go on all day, the grills would always be laced with food that looked as divine as it tasted, the tables were never barren of fare, and almost always, the Sanchez’s would come out on top, never losing a game.

      Lance could always count on his brother to catch a pop fly, his sister to slide into home base, or his Papa to signal the right pitch to throw. And, when necessary, Lance would also take one for the team. One little twist of his hips and he’d end up in the path of the pitch. Something that calls for an automatic walk is great when the bases are loaded and you need said walk to tie.

      Lance has always been one to take one for the team; the scars on his thighs are proof enough.

      But not today.

      Today he draws the line. 

      “You want me to _what_?!” A loud clatter sounds throughout the dining hall as Lance slams his hands on the table, unable to believe what he’s hearing. The eyes of his teammates are drawn to his sudden outburst but Lance isn’t ashamed. If anything, he’s glad they’re staring. Do they even realize what they’ve just asked of him?!

      “I thought I was quite clear,” Pidge pushes their glasses up the bridge of their nose and then rests their head in their hands. “I’ll say it once more. I want you and Keith to infiltrate the dinner party that Zarkon is throwing in two days. The galaxies most powerful leaders will be there so all of the security on the ship will probably be tasked with guarding the main hall. That being said, it’ll be your job, Lance and Keith, to slip away from the party after gaining Zarkon’s trust, and insert this,” Pidge pulls a tiny USB drive from their pocket and draws it to Lance’s attention, “Into the ship’s main data rig. The drive is already rigged to overpower any firewall Zarkon might have, so all you need to do is wait. When it flashes green, all of the data will have been transferred to our hands and you can proceed to make your getaway. This data will be most needed in our never ending quarrel with the Galra’s. It will show us their every move. Without it, we’re sitting ducks.”

      Lance opens his mouth to protest once more but is stopped short by Allura. “We’ll be garbing you with the finest disguises that Altea has to offer.” Allura produces a small pocket watch out of her dress pocket and, upon clipping it to her person, materializes into a creature resembling that of a Galra. “As long as you have this device clipped to your person, your disguise will remain intact. Lance, this one is yours.” She taps the pocket watch and then produces a pearl necklace out of her other dress pocket for none other than Keith. “And Keith, this one is yours.”

      “I’m not wearing that.” Keith raises an eyebrow with crossed arms and glares in Allura’s direction.

      “You don’t have a choice,” Coran chimes in, flipping through his tiny hologram and then projecting the image he’s looking at for all to see. It’s a picture of a Galra couple, dressed in golden satin robes, most likely royalty, smiling happily for the camera. “We’ve already RSVP’d you both as this couple seen here. They’re the only invited guest’s email we were able to hack into and send a letter of RSVP from. In actuality, they had a letter drafted to Zarkon to make him aware of their _inability_ to attend but we managed to intercept it, and now they’ll, meaning you and Lance, will be attending in their stead.”

      “We’ll be posing as them? Isn’t that a crime punishable by death? Did you ever think about what would happen if Keith and I are caught?” Lance grits his teeth, still unable to believe the nonsense his so called friends are spewing from their mouths.

      “Highly unlikely,” Shiro answers in Pidge’s stead, “You’ll both be equipped with earpieces that feed directly to us so we can help you if you ever get between a rock and a hard place. With it, the mission has a 78% success rate. That is, if you and Keith can learn to keep your mouths shut long enough and not rip each other to pieces. But knowing the likelihood of that happening, I can see your concern Lance.”

      The group chuckles softly at Shiro’s pun. Even Keith manages to crack a smile, but not Lance. He has so much to live for. Brothers, sisters, a mom and dad, all of them are out there waiting for him to come home, are waiting to hear that he’s safe and sound and not missing in action.

      “Well I’m glad that you all think that my life is just one big joke.” Lance spits and the laughter immediately dies, replaced with solemn faces all around. That hadn’t been their intention, but it’s more than come off that way. Unable to bear the tension, Hunk leaves and is trailed by Pidge, who is unable to bear the burden of the drama they’ve just caused.

      Everyone left behind is too afraid to talk now. To be the first to speak up and counter Lance’s shrewd comment. Only someone as shrewd as the comment could comment-

      “We’ll do it.” Keith mutters with his eyes closed, unable to bear the look Lance probably has on his face towards his acceptance.

      Which isn’t a bad idea in all honestly, because Lance’s eyes are burning with the fiery rage of a thousand suns, unable to fathom why someone who just confessed to him has also just gone against him.

      “How come you’re so eager to throw your life away?” Lances accidentally thinks out loud and cups his mouth shut with both hands, regretting his choice of words almost immediately.  

      “ _Eager to throw my life away_?” Keith repeats through innocently parted lips. “What on earth makes you think that I’m eager to throw my life away asshole?” A grit of his teeth sends shivers down Lance’s spine, but doesn’t damage his resolve. He’s going to have it his way or the highway.

      _Fine. You wanna dance pretty boy? Let’s dance._

      “Oh I don’t know?” Lance fumes, “Maybe it’s the fact that you’re willing to sign up for a plan we’re not even sure will work, or maybe it’s because you did it so quickly.” The blue paladin turns to his left and pokes Keith in the chest, “Listen pretty boy. You may not have a family to go back to, but _I_ do!” A quick flick of his wrist towards the rest of his team and Lance is back at the red paladin, “Most of us do! And I’m not going to risk never seeing them again because of a 78% mission success rate and certainly not because you have a death wish!”

      “Lance.” A voice thunders from across the table. Shiro stands with his arms at his side, staring the tan teen down, “That was out of line.”

      “I’m out of line?” Lance laughs, “ ** _I’m_** _out of line_?! Fuck you Shiro! What about you?! You’re the team leader! You’re supposed to do what’s best for this team! But so far today, all I’ve seen you do is agree to send me and Keith off to slaughter, and hope that we’ll make it back in one piece!”

      “As the proud paladins of Voltron it’s our sacrificial duty to act in favor of the greater good of the galaxy.” The black paladin says with a stone cold expression. An expression so cold and so menacing that Lance has to look away or give in to Shiro’s demands. And hell if he’d let that happen, so with an equally as cold shoulder, he stands up in his chair and turns his back to Shiro.

      “Fuck the greater good of the galaxy. I’m outta here.” Everyone is speechless as Lance walks himself out of the dining hall. Never in all the time that they’ve been together, have they seen Lance so adamant about not doing something.

      Yes, no matter how loud Shiro yells at him to come back, no matter how many kisses Allura promises to give him if he concedes, no matter how hard Keith tries to stop him, Lance just keeps on walking.

      Walking…

      _Walking…_

_It was always a long walk to school… Wasn’t it Papa?_

…

_“Lo que vas a llegar tarde a la escuela si no prisa a Lance! (You’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry Lance!)” Lance’s mom calls for him as he slides down the staircase rail, backpack in tow._

_“Alright Momma!” Lance gets up on his tippy toes to kiss his mother goodbye. “I’ll see you later okay?”_

_“Esta bien hijo (Okay son),” The worn woman brushes off the feeble kiss attempt for a warm and motherly hug which Lance happily accepts. “Te amo… (I love you)”_

_“Te amo momma… (I love you too momma)” Lance mutters softly before exchanging the warm embrace of his mother for the equally warm grip of his father’s hand._

_His mom was always there for him. Always prepared three hot meals a day, kept the house spotless despite how messy some of his siblings could be, and made sure they always had clean laundry. His father worked hard to afford what they had, would make the time to walk him to school every morning, would make sure the house was up to code and even take the family out to dinner on the weekends or for special occasions._

_They didn’t have much. Just a tiny two story house on a large piece of farm land, a few chickens, and a goat named Cinderella, but it was home…_

_It was home...._

_It_ **was** _home._

_…_

_“El hogar es donde esta ecorazon hijo (Home is where the heart is son).”_ The word’s Lance’s mother seemed to say too much but not enough, echo loudly in his mind.

      “Nunca fueron palabras tan verdaderas… (Never were words so true…)” Lances hiccups into his tightly hugged knees. His eyes are red and swollen from crying since dinner but he could care less.

      They can’t force him to do something he doesn’t want to do. So in his room he’ll stay, curled up in his bed sheets with his constellation night light on, until they come to their senses.

      Why couldn’t they get Pidge or Hunk to take his place? Why’d it have to be specifically him and Keith? It didn’t make sense to him. Why did he have to put his life on the line for something he didn’t even support nor more or less agree to?

      _It isn’t fair._

      “Mi Corazon esta en casa con usted mama… (My heart is home with you momma…)” Lance whimpers and begins to tear up again just as he thought he was finally done balling his eyes out. “Te extrano… Extrano a todos de vuelta a casa en la tierra… Por favor enviar un angel de la guarda para salvarme de esta… I beg of you… (I miss you… I miss everyone back home on earth… Please send a guardian angel to save me from this…)”

      “Lance? Are you okay?” A knocking at his door renders him quiet as a mouse. Could his prayer have been answered so quickly? No, because he asked for an angel without a physical form and this person just knocked on his door.

       Guardian angel aside, he wonders if he should answer them back. After all, it’s comfort he wants and this person seems willing to give it- No. Couldn’t they see that he was emotionally unstable right now? He was just asked to throw his life away, why- _WHO_ on earth would even try to bother him at a time like this- “It’s Keith…” The voice answers his thoughts and Lance grunts.

      _Of course it is…_

      “I know you’re in there.” Keith persistently pounds on the door. “I can hear you breathing.”

      _Mother fucker-_

      “Then come in already. What do you need? A gold and silver laced invite?” Lance snaps as the door slides open and closed behind the weary red paladin. “Sorry it must’ve gotten lost in the mail. Then again, that’s what I get for trying to send it to somewhere as far away as your ego.”

      “Look, I just came to see if you were all right.” Keith puts his hands up in self-defense. “If you want to fight, go and take it up with Pidge. It’s them you’re mad at anyways. They’re the one who suggested the plan in the first place-”

      “I’m not mad at them. I’m mad at you.” Lance mutters into his sheets at a volume not even he heard. Keith rolls his eyes and sits himself next to the stubborn blanket burrito.

      “What was that?”

      “I’m mad at _you_!” Lances barks in Keith’s face. Keith’s beautiful, flawless, long lashed and blush brushed face… is only centimeters from his. His reckless move has brought them much closer then he can handle at a time like this. Lance swings his head back towards the floor, blushing brightly. “I said I’m mad at _you_ …” Keith takes a moment to recover from the close contact before stuttering out what he can.

      “M-Me? Why?”

      “Were you even listening to me in the dining hall?!”

      Blankets fly.

      Bodies become tangled in one another.

      Sheets are clenched between sweaty and shaking palms.

      Lance hovers above Keith, teary eyed and mentally insecure. “I have a family Keith…” The blue paladin manages between loud hiccups and sobs. “A family who is probably worried sick about me and where I am… A family who has loved me for eighteen years… I have a family of three brothers, four sisters, a mamma and a papa! And I would like to see them again!!!” Keith looks up at Lance in shock, baffled as ice cold tears begin to drop down onto his cheeks. “You just threw my life away without a second thought! Of course I’m going to be mad at you, you jerk! Did you ever think to ask how I felt about this?!”

      This is the first time that Keith has seen Lance cry; the first time he’s seen him look so broken and lost. He’s dreamt of this day more times than he can count on his fingers. The day Sarcastic Sanchez finally tears down his walls. But now that it’s here, he can’t handle it.

      No it’s more like he doesn’t know _how_ to handle it.

      He wants to both kiss and scold Lance at the same time.

      Kiss him for being so cute when he hiccups and cries, for how vulnerable he looks right now, for having a constellation projector in his room like a nerd. I mean seriously. He thought Pidge of all people would own one, never Lance.

      And he wanted scold him for being so selfish. For not bothering to think about how this might benefit the entire galaxy.

      But he does neither.

      Instead he’s a sarcastic ass. Brilliant.

      “Dude, are you crying?” Keith sits up and forces Lance to sit upright on his lap.

      “ _No_ ,” Lance scoffs and wipes the tears from his eyes. “I’m allergic to your stupidity dumbass. God you don’t understand-!”

      “You’re right Lance! I don’t understand!” Keith grips the tan teen wrists tightly and holds them down at his sides away from his face, forcing him to look him in the eyes. “I was tossed around from foster home to foster home all my life! I don’t know what it’s like to have a real family so of course I can’t say that I understand!” Tears begin to whelm up in the red paladins eyes so he averts his gaze to the laundry covered floor. “I don’t think I can ever understand…”

      He can’t believe he’s just said that out loud. What had originally been said to get his point across has gotten him pity instead. The look plastered on Lance’s face tells him that much. But he really can’t understand what Lance is going through. Hopefully Lance sees that now. Hopefully-

      “Keith…” Lance struggles against the grip on his wrists for a while only to give up when Keith refuses to budge. “I’m… I’m sorry. I never knew you went through that.”

      “Ha… That’s because you’re the first to know… I don’t exactly go spreading that fact around to everyone I see…” Keith laughs at himself. He’s so fucking stupid. Why did he just pour his heart out to the sarcastic ass sitting on his lap? Oh, right. It’s because he likes said sarcastic ass, and he came here to help him not make things worse. “Look, I’m not going to pry anymore. If you want to sit in here and sulk then be my guest. I just came by to see if there was anything I could do to help ease your pain.”

      Lance contemplates the offer before also giving a hurt laugh and averting his gaze, “Unless you can somehow teleport my family halfway throughout the galaxy to see me. No. There’s not anything you can do to help-”

      “Lance,” Keith huffs and moves his hands to the stubborn teen’s cheeks, forcing eye contact once more. “Tell me what I can do to help-”

      “Fine!” Lance pouts and squirms against Keith’s hold. “Distract me then! I don’t want to think about this anymore!” The blue paladin’s face grows dark. “I… I don’t really want to think about _anything_ anymore…”

      Keith recognizes the look on Lance’s face almost immediately, for he’s seen it in the mirror on his own face more times than he can remember. Defeat. He’s defeated. The one person Keith thought would laugh in the face of death is sitting on his lap, hopeless and defeated. It breaks his heart a little.

      “You’re a stubborn _ass_ you know that right?” Keith mutters, resting his head on Lance’s shoulder and pulling him into a comforting embrace. He can sense the blue paladin hesitate for a while, as if thinking through what to do, before two shaking arms wrap around his own waist and hug him back tightly. It’s as if Lance is afraid if his hold isn’t tight enough, that Keith will disappear right out from under him. That he’ll be gone with the wind. Keith’s heart breaks a little more.

      “And you sure have a funny way of trying to cheer someone up… so we’re even.” Lance mutters back and nuzzles his face into the crook of Keith’s neck. Never in his life did he think he’d be given comfort from the one guy he hates and whom he thought hated him back. Never in his life did he think he’d ever want to be coddled, or be sitting on a dude’s lap like a whiny child. And never in his life did he think he’d _like it_.

      Keith’s cologne is smothering him. Plaguing his senses and filling him with lust for the red paladin but this isn’t the time to make a move. Yet with every deep breath, he gets a greater sense of who Keith is; a hard headed, son of a bitch, who has a candy fetish and who might just care about him deep down- _WHOA WAIT A SECOND_.

_Keith’s in my room._

_Keith’s in my room and has a crush on me._

_Keith’s in my room, has a crush on me, and confessed to me yesterday._

_Keith’s in my room, has a crush on me, confessed to me yesterday and is coddling me._

_He’s fucking coddling me- someone pinch me I must be dreaming._ Lance’s body begins to unconsciously tense in Keith’s hold, coming to terms with just how fucked he is right now. _This can’t be real. Keith… Keith and I are rivals. He can’t possibly be- WE can’t possibly be doing this right now. We can’t. We-_

      Lance takes in another deep breath and decides to not complete that thought. This is happening. He’s sitting on Keith’s lap, with no one else around to see what they are or will be doing, and he likes it.

      He _likes_ it.

      “God you smell nice…” Lance exhales, mistakenly thinking out loud again. Only this time he doesn’t realize it.

      _Way to be subtle Lance. 10/10 will fuck up again._

      “Thank you…?” Keith chimes softly and pulls back, greeted by the bright red blush adorning Lance’s face. Keith’s more than flattered by the sudden compliment and can’t help but blush softly in return, but also wonder if Lance is just being sarcastic.

      “Why’d you answer in the form of a question? It’s a compliment you ass. Just take it and leave me alone.” Lance bites his lip and avoids Keith’s gaze, more than embarrassed. He definitely wasn’t trying to be sarcastic for once, which only makes Keith want to tease the tan teen.

      “You want me to leave? Alright, if you say so.” Keith puts his hands on Lance’s chest to push him off but is roughly grabbed by the shirt collar before he has the chance to do so.

      “N-No! P-Please! D-Don’t leave me! Don’t…” The blue paladin looks at him with wide, panicked eyes. They’re ones of a deer caught in headlights, ones of child scared of the dark. “Don’t leave me alone… Please don’t…” Tears begin to streak down his cheeks for the fourth time today and that’s all it takes for Keith’s heart to snap completely in two.

      _Oh my **god** I made him cry._ The red paladin panics, freezing in Lance’s grip. He doesn’t know what to do now. He’s never had to deal with his type of emotional conflict before. Sure, he’s read numerous amounts of novels that deal with this type of situation before, but those couldn’t be of any help right now, could they?

 _Come on Keith! Think!_ Keith searches for a way to calm Lance down through the storage cabinets in his mind. _War novels, no. Nonfiction, no. Romance novels? Sure, why the hell not? What would someone in a romance novel do in this sort of situation?_ The answer hits him like a ton of bricks. _I’m going to have to be the good guy right now, aren’t I?_

      With a deep breath, Keith eases Lance’s grip off of his shirt collar, “Hey… I’m sorry. I was just joking. I promise I won’t go anywhere okay?”

      “P-Promise?”

      “Promise.”

      “T-Then help distract me…” Lance hiccups and sobs, unable to pull himself together. God he feels like a preteen girl who just got her heart broken. Not exactly the image he wanted to come to mind but it fits considering the position they’re in.

      “Distract you?” Keith repeats, unsure of what Lance means. “With what?”

      “If I knew I’d tell you wouldn’t I?!” Lance snaps through a hiccup, “I thought you wanted to help. You’re doing a lousy job…”

      “Well it’s not everyday somebody I know breaks down on my lap crying Lance.” Keith wants to roll his eyes but resists the urge to do so. It’s the last thing Lance needs right now. So he sticks to a soft tone of voice and they just sit there.

      They just sit there. Keith with his hands over top of Lance’s as the teen sobs softly with his eyes closed. And in a room as vacant as the blue paladin’s, the sobs can’t help but be magnified, can’t help but pierce the red lion’s heart one after the other. The sight and the _sounds_ , make Keith’s heart ache. So much so that he can’t control what he does next.

      With bated breath, the red paladin leans in and brushes his lips against the teen sitting on his lap. Lance’s eyes shoot open immediately but he doesn’t open his mouth to protest. He just stares. Stares as if he can’t quite process what just happened. Seconds pass, minutes pass, and they can only just sit there. Their faces centimeters apart, feeling the hot breath against each other’s cheeks, they wait for the other to give any type of permission to continue on.

      When ten minutes go by it’s clear to Lance that Keith isn’t about to be the one to give said sign, so he gives the most subtle hint possible, and flutters his eyes closed. And thank god Keith isn’t the dense mother fucker Lance once thought he was because seconds later, their lips greet one another.

      It’s soft and timid, as if feeling out what the other is comfortable with before moving on. Quite courteous of Keith, but an inconvenience for Lance, so he pushes back softly and gives the red paladin permission to continue.

      One kiss turns into two; two into three, three into four, and soon Lance has to part their lips to take a breath. Keith’s clearly enjoying himself as much as he is. The look on his face is clear as day, but the fact that he’s sitting on top of his hard on is more than enough of a hint as well.

      “Can I keep distracting you?” Keith breathes, hovering his lips over Lance’s teasingly. When Lance goes to answer him with a kiss, Keith moves away, wanting verbal permission.

      _Damn it_ \- Lance bites his lip and tries to think Keith’s offer through. But his thoughts are so full of the red paladin right now that he can’t think straight. Then again, he’s never been able to think straight.

      “I’m not saying no…” Lance mumbles and abandons Keith’s hands to drape his arms around his neck.

      “Lance,” Keith give him a serious look and Lance groans.

      “Fine. Kiss me Keith. Kiss me and shut the fuck up.” Keith doesn’t have to be told twice. He has his lips on Lance’s in a millisecond, trying to match his rhythm. As it turns out, Keith is much more eager than Lance is right now, bombarding the blue paladin with kiss after kiss, draining all of the restraint from his being. It’s much more than he can handle.

      “Keith…” Lance purrs softly as his kiss crazy friend slowly, softly, slides his hands up his shirt, feeling every inch of skin available to him. Never in a million years did he think he’d allow anyone, never mind Keith, to scour his body with their hands, but there is something about the way Keith is going about it that makes Lance hesitate to stop him. They’re not pinching or digging into his skin, they’re lightly grazing it, as if afraid to deter him. It’s comforting.

      “Keith…” The red paladin’s name begins to leave Lance’s mouth in droves. The more Keith kisses him, the gentler he touches him, the more he can’t bring himself to tell Keith to stop. So he doesn’t.

      He lets himself be toppled over, let’s Keith bear his weight down on him, lets him run his hands through his sweat matted hair, let’s himself do the same to Keith, let’s himself be showered with kisses and marked with carefully placed love bite after love bite. He let’s all of this happen because, whether or not he wants to admit it, he _likes_ it.

      And he’s beginning to like the thought of being able to do this on a daily basis as well.

      To be able to have Keith hold him in front of the others without it being awkward, to be able to have Keith in his room without the others being suspicious about it, to be able to kiss Keith wherever he wants. Well, not wherever he wants. The dining hall sure, but he wouldn’t go off the chain and do something as rash as make out with him in a public hallway. He has to protect what little innocence Pidge has left after all. Let’s just say “The Talk”, given by Shiro, did not go well with her. It took a month before she’d spoken to any of the guys normally again-

      “K-Keith!” Lance squeals as the red paladin boldly bites the rim of his ear. Just as he’d found Keith’s soft spot yesterday, Keith’s now found his. He didn’t think he’d find it so soon.

      _So that’s where it is…_ Keith makes a mental note and continues on with his work. The way the stubborn teen squirms under him with every tiny nibble fuels Keith’s resolve. Lance is cute in a weird, adult child kind of way. And the way he’s breathing Keith’s name through his quivering lips is a big plus too.

      “K-Keith… D-Do that again…” The blue paladin breathes into his ear and he’s happy to oblige, biting softy once more and sliding Lance’s shirt up to reveal his chiseled abs-

      _Wait a god damn second;_ Keith’s hands slowly feel Lance up, earning a moan of approval from him. Only he’s not doing it to get that reaction, he’s doing it so he can count. _Two… Four… Six- ARE YOU KIDDING ME._ Jealousy floods Keith’s being. _This jackass doesn’t do half of the workouts I do and he has a six pack?!_ A soft groan of disapproval catches in the back of his throat causing Lance to look at him curiously.

      “Something wrong?” Lance slides his hands up under Keith’s shirt, “Jealous maybe?” And a wicked grin forms on his lips, making Keith blush.

      “N-No, what makes you think- _nngh_!” The red paladin bites his lip to stop the moan threatening to escape.

      “The fact that you have two less than me. That’s what.” Keith wants to punch Lance square in his smug ass face rather than kiss him right now. But he knows the only way to shut Lance up is to pick the latter of the two. So he packs up his pride and does so.

      “Shut up…” An eager kiss and Lance is long gone, forgetting everything they’d just argued about. And that’s the way Keith likes it. How simple Lance is, is humorous to him in the nicest way possible.

      But the moment Lance strips Keith of his shirt, things start to go downhill.

      Kissing and hair pulling turn to deep love bites and nail digging, Keith shimmies Lance out of his shirt, hands scour toned bodies, hot breath and moans fill the tiny room, but that’s not what triggers it. No, it’s only when Keith has his hand on Lance’s inner thigh and whispers sweet nothings into Lance’s ear that it happens.

      PTSD.

      _“You’re so cute Lance…”_ The words Keith’s whispering to him no longer belong to him, but rather her.

      _That’s right._ It wasn’t Keith who’d woken him up from his dream the other night. It was her. Because all of a sudden the dream had changed and it’d no longer been Keith sitting on his lap but her; and he’d been up since then trying to get back to sleep because of her.

      Because of her.

      Her.

      **_HER-_**

      “N-NO!” Lance bolts upright, knocks foreheads with Keith and sends him toppling backwards onto the mattress. He hadn’t meant to do that. Hadn’t meant to hurt Keith or give him the wrong impression, but he’d heard her. Heard her whisper in his ear and couldn’t control himself. He needs to get away; away from her. He needs to-

      He can’t breathe.

      “O-Ow what the fuck dude?!” Keith groans and massages the giant welt forming in the middle of his forehead. “If you didn’t want to you could’ve just said-,” The look on Lance’s face, one of pure terror and absolute isolation, stops him from commenting any further. It’s shocking. Shaking and stuttering, it’s as if Lance can’t even remember his name, can’t remember why he’s here. It’s as if he isn’t here.

      _But if that’s the case, where is he?_

      “I-I’m sorry…” Lance utters through quivering lips. The blue paladin hides his eyes with his hair and hugs himself tightly, “W-We can b-be smooch buds b-but I-I can’t c-commit to… to _that_.”

      Keith can’t help but wonder what’s going on in his head; what made his attitude change so suddenly. So he takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to ask, only to once again stop himself as Lance’s bedroom door swings open.

      “Lance? Did Keith talk to you yet?” Pidge mumbles and adjusts her glasses. “I’m sorry about earlier. We can find a different way to get the data if you’re really that against it- What the _fuck_ are you two doing?” The lights flicker on as Pidge takes a step inside, momentarily blinding the two. Of course this looks bad. They have their shirts off, are covered in sweat and scratch marks, and adorn disheveled hair.

      Pidge has a point.

      What had they been about to do?

      He and Lance weren’t officially an item, but yet Lance had just implied that they’d been about to- His blush deepens as he searches for his shirt.

      “I-I came to see if Lance was alright,” Keith laughs nervously, finding his shirt and quickly tugging it on. “Right Lance?” The red paladin looks to him for confirmation but is still met with nothing but Lance’s bangs. “Lance-?”

      “So that’s why you swung by…huh… Here I thought that, someone might actually care for me but…” Lance mutters under his breath, “You used me to get what you want… just like her…” He sweeps his bangs out of his face and reveals his tear laced eyes. “God I’m so _stupid_ …”

      _No._

      “I-It’s not like that Lance!” Keith tries to search for the right words to use in this situation. “I just came by to see if you were alright! Honest!”

      _Please believe me-_

      “Whatever… I’ll do it.” Lance huffs. Keith’s eyes widen.

      “What?”

      “I said, I’ll do it.” Lance repeats bitterly.

      “Lance-” Keith can’t believe what he’s hearing. While it’s true that Pidge had originally told him to talk Lance, she’d done so not so he’d convinced Lance to agree to the plan, but rather, to cheer him up since they’ve always been bickering buds. He knows that Lance wouldn’t believe him if he told him that now though. How could he when he’s acting this way?

      “Don’t _Lance_ me!” Lance shouts and Keith zips his mouth shut. “I said I’ll do it! You got what you came here for! What more do you want?!”

      “Really?! Awesome! I’ll go tell Allura and Coran and we’ll start making preparations right away!” Pidges turns to leave but stops in the doorway as Lance lashes out for the last time.

      “Not so fast. I’ll do it. On one condition.”

      “Okayyyyy,” Pidge raises an eyebrow skeptically, “And that condition is?” Her eyes follow Lance’s to Keith.

      “I don’t want _him_ anywhere near me until then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how did you guys like the newest chapter? Did you catch all the references I made? Hopefully you did! And hopefully y'all will stick with me on this wonderfully, humorous journey! Leave a Kudo or Comment behind (they're greatly appreciated!) and Subscribe if you want! And remember to always "Be Creative, Be Unique and Be You!"! Love Y'all Have A Good Day! ^w^


	3. I'm Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone apologizes for being an a** and bonds are reformed :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than the other two! 0w0  
> I was really inspired to write it because I needed to get some more plot/character development out there. 
> 
> **Please excuse any typos! I'll go through & fix them when I have the time!**
> 
> Hope you all like it!

Chapter 3: I'm Sorry

 

      Ever since he was a child, Lance Sanchez has loved the little things in life.

      The orange hue of the setting sun, watching Fashion Runway with his mother, hugging his teddy bear close when his parents would get into an argument, are all examples that qualify.

      But sadly, he no longer has the setting sun, day time television or his teddy. He has himself and not really all that recently:

      Hunk.

      It didn’t come to a surprise to Lance when Hunk volunteered to replace his teddy bear, considering the teen is as soft and as loveable as one, but nonetheless, the edge had been there when he’d accepted.

      Their buddy-buddy arrangement had spawned suddenly during a summer storm. Lance had had a fear of thunder and lightning and Hunk had just happened to be a friend willing to give him a little… _distraction_. But that was then and this is now.

      Now his problem won’t just dissipate into thin air within a few hours.

      Now he can’t just stick his headphones in his ears and pretend he’s not listening.

      Now he can’t wake up in the morning and expect everything to be hunky dory because now, his problem is Keith.

      Living, breathing, easy, breezy, beautiful: Keith.

      And he can’t just ignore him forever. He knows what that feels like. But what can he do?

      It hadn’t been his fault. Keith had used him; used him to get what he wanted.

      He knows that… yet why… Why does his heart say it isn’t so?

      “You’re going to have to talk to him eventually.” Hunk sighs and rests his chin on Lance’s unkempt hair. The two are engaged in a position some might say is “Too close for comfort”, with Lance sitting on Hunk’s lap and his arms crossed angrily across his chest as a childish pout makes its way onto his lips. “After all, you’re going on a mission together in less than two hours.” Hunk’s arms are securely wrapped around the blue paladin’s waist and apply only a comforting amount of pressure.

      They’re in Hunk’s room which is, not ironically, very far away from Keith’s. The television in front of them is on low volume, displaying what Lance can only assume is an alien reality TV show because he can’t understand a lick of what they’re saying. And nearby, a clock on Hunk’s desk read’s 5:30 p.m.

      One hour and thirty minutes until Zarkon’s party is set to start.

      Knowing that, Lance’s stomach does a backflips and he shifts in Hunk’s lap, leaning his head back to rest on the yellow paladins shoulder. The angle gives him just enough peripheral to slide Hunk a look. “Comfort pillows are supposed to be quiet Hunk, not spout advice where it’s not wanted.”

      “True,” Hunk nods, “But I’m also your friend. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t offer you said unwanted advice? At least I can say that I tried.”

      Lance breathes in to retort but then snaps his mouth shut as he realizes that Hunk has a point.

      A really good point.

      But still…

      “He could’ve just asked me Hunk. But instead he had to go and make me believe that he might actually care for me.” Lance spits.

      “Keith?”

      “Naw, the muffin man Hunk.” Lance rolls his eyes, “Of course I’m talking about Keith.”

      “Uh huh…” Lance’s sarcasm deserves an eye roll that Hunk is too nice to dish out. So, he jumps the gun instead. “Are you gay for Keith?”

      Lance might have well have been pronounced dead in Hunk’s arms. The question blows the blue paladins eyes wide open and leaves him frozen stiff, unable to come up with a response for fear he may cough up his lungs.

     “W-Wha…? W-What makes you think that?!” Lance’s face gives it away; it blooms a bright red. “Why would I like a jerk like him?! He’s stubborn, rude, sarcastic, good at fighting, has great hair and pretty eyes that seem to sparkle no matter what light they’re in and-…” The blue paladin trails off and watches as a smirk spreads across his comfort pillow’s face. He’s been really bad at not saying what he’s thinking lately.

      “I’m happy for you Lance.” Hunk ruffles Lance’s hair and chortles softly, “Keith’s a great guy. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. You should let him explain himself.”

      “You really think so?” Lance gives him a crooked look, not knowing whether or not to take the advice given to him. What could Hunk know about this?

_It’s not like he was there._

      While he’d like Keith to explain himself, he’s afraid of what he’s going to hear. If it turns out to be good, he’ll be ecstatic. If it turns out to be bad, he’ll be broken beyond repair. A 50/50 chance isn’t worth it to him-

      “Lance, I know that it might’ve _looked_ bad but from what I heard, it’s not.” Hunk rests his head on top of Lance’s and Lance blinks, confused.

      “What do you mean?” He questions his pillow, “Do you know something I don’t?”

      “Well, yes and no.” Hunk lulls softly, “You and me both know that Pidge isn’t so devious as to get someone else to do their dirty work.” Lance raises his eyebrow and frowns. “Alright so she is, but only towards people she doesn’t know! She wouldn’t do anything to harm _us_.”

      “You’re not helping Hunk-” Lance motions to leave the yellow paladins lap but is denied in his efforts.

      “Let me finish,” Hunk sways and Lance pouts, crossing his arms yet again in childish anger. “Now for the part you don’t know. I… sort of overheard Pidge and Keith talking to each other last night.” That gets Lance’s attention.

      “You did? What were they talking about? It was about me wasn’t it? I knew it-!” Hunk’s hand clamps over his mouth, forcing him to shut up and listen.

      “You’re always so quick to jump to conclusions.” Hunk tuts and shakes his head, disappointed but then gets on with his story. “Yes, they were talking about you. But it wasn’t anything bad. I was in the kitchen and ducked behind a counter. I didn’t mean to ease drop but that’s what ended up happening- Anyways, Pidge was in tears because she had made you angry-”

      “She was?”

      “So Keith had volunteered to go and sort things out with you for her. She knew you wouldn’t want to talk to her anyways so-

      “And she was right.”

      “ _So_ she agreed to have him go and see you. They hadn’t been trying to get you to agree to the plan. They’d been trying to see if you were okay. You just assumed that the worst was what they were after.”

      “…” Lance squirms out of Hunk’s arms and stands, “… you’re not lying… right Hunk?”

      “I have no reason to.”

      “You know I trust you a whole lot dude.” Lance clenches his fist and grits his teeth. “Just verbalize it for me.” Hunk looks at the tense paladin and sighs. Lance is a love-struck fool in his eyes.

      “Fine, I’m not lying.”

      “Then I feel like a complete and utter _ass_ right now.” Lance blubbers and looks over his shoulder with tears in his eyes. The sight stuns Hunk for a second but then has him up on his feet and fumbling around, not knowing what to do. While he’s seen Lance cry before, it usually comes with a warning so he can prepare himself.

      “L-Lance?!”

      “I’m sorry,” Lance pushes past him and stands in the doorway with his back to his friend. “I have to go and fix this.” Not another word escapes his lips as he bolts out of Hunk’s sight to go and find Keith. Not another word and yet, he has so much he wants to say.

      All around the castle he searches high and low, seeming to run into anyone else he possibly can besides the one person who actually matters.

      Keith’s room looked abandoned.

      The kitchen was a mess because Coran had been trying a new recipe and he made a run for it just before it could’ve been shoved down his throat.

      The living room had been occupied by a computer hacking Pidge, who had tried to talk to him only to get ignored and isolated as he continued his search.

      And he’d literally run into Shiro in the hallway, but before the black paladin could say anything, Lance had gotten to his feet and ran off.

      In short, Lance has checked everywhere. Well, everywhere except-

      _No… He couldn’t be… Could he?_ Lance considers the thought, making his way back to his quarters as fast as his legs will carry him.

      With quick feet, steady breath and a slight of hand, he’s back at his room. The door swings open for him but to his dismay Keith is not inside.

      “Hah… Man, I’m stupid. I really thought he’d be here…” Lance laughs at his own stupidity, waves his door closed and then starts shuffling down the hallway to continue his search. “Where on earth could he be- OUCH!”

      Within seconds he’s on the ground. The person he’d bumped into grunts. They’re clearly disheveled and irritated, but he doesn’t open his eyes to see who he’s inconvenienced. He doesn’t have enough strength to do so, so he curls himself into a ball and hides his face in his knees.

      Someone had walked right into him or he’d walked right into someone or whatever! The point is that Lance can feel tears begin to punch at his corneas; wanting to pull off a jail break out of their host. He can’t take this anymore. The blue paladin sniffles as the tears uprising breaks through his defenses and begin to soak into his pants knees.

_Keith… where are you? I’m sor-_

      “There you are you jackass.” A familiar voice scolds and his teary face is jerked up to confirm his suspicions. Keith is semi-glaring down at his sorry state but he softens his gaze and tone once he realizes that Lance is crying. He hates to see Lance cry. It breaks his heart. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

      “W-Well _I’ve_ been looking everywhere for you! So I’m not the jackass! You are!” Lance offers a very weak counter to which Keith almost wants to smack himself in the face. “Do you enjoy playing ring around the rosy with people or something?!”

      Lance can sometimes be so disillusioned and stupid when he’s upset. He’s making no sense right now, and is just blubbering out his feelings. While Keith doesn’t really mind this, it’s that Lance is doing so incomprehensibly that ticks him off. He can barely understand what Lance is trying to tell him. It makes him want to put a plate of cookies in front of the boy and get him to eat just so he’ll shut up for a millisecond.

      “Look… I’ve been worried about you…” Keith finally sighs as an interjection; it’s enough to get Lance’s attention. His babble ceases and his eyes are on the red paladins now, waiting to hear what else he has to say. Keith swallows hard, realizing he now has a listening audience and continues. “I was worried about you all night that night… And I’ve been worried about you for the past few days since. Ever since you said that you didn’t want me near you… Well, it broke my heart.” Keith blushes, realizing what he’s just said was a little more than gay. “B-But don’t take that the wrong way! I just hate it when people are mad at me for no goddamn reason! It creates unwanted drama!” Keith is covering up his feelings very badly. The blush on his face and the aversion of his eyes from Lance is giving away that that hadn’t been the reason he’d been worried at all. “S-So… Cheer up you freakin’ idiot! We have work to do!”

      A moment passes.

      The uncomfortable whir of the castle’s inner workings floods the hallway they stand in.

      Eyes cling to each other desperately.

      Dry lips are licked.

      It’s awkward.

      Keith eyes make a round trip around the hallway back to Lances and they’re still reaching into the depths of his soul.

      Yup. Very much awkward.

      Lance is just staring at Keith. It’s as if he’s searching for something. An answer? An emotion? Keith doesn’t have a clue but wishes for Lance to stop with his eye contact so he can release the tension in his body.

      “W-What?! What’re you looking at?!” Keith stutters, blushing even deeper the longer the awkward silence is carried out. It’s only when Lance stands up that Keith’s blush runs for the hills and his guard is put up dramatically.

      And for good reason.

      Lance’s hair hides his teary face as he brushes himself off without looking at the red paladin. It’s a little unsettling to Keith who’s just waiting for an answer. What is he going to do? What is he going to say? The suspense is killing him. “Lance-

      Suddenly, the blue paladin launches himself at Keith and before Keith can protest, he has him hugged tightly in his arms.

      The whir of machinery is heard again as neither say a thing. Lance buries his face into the crook of Keith’s neck, takes in Keith’s musky cologne and sniffles. It’s comforting for the blue paladin. He can hear the not so gentle heartbeat of his Hunk deemed “love interest” batter against his own and he wonders if it’s for the same reason as his own.

      The two stand there in silence until-

      “Lance…” Keith sighs. His arms slowly, gently, wrap around the disheveled brown haired teen and hug him loosely; it’s as if he’ll snap if he doesn’t. “What’s wrong…?”

      Lance’s lip quivers. He wants to tell Keith about the thoughts that plague him and ask him question after question in order to quell his inner war of feelings, but… he’s so afraid of the answer that he will get that he’s afraid to ask. So he doesn’t.

      “Lance…?” Keith persists and tries to pull back so he can look the shaking newborn deer in the eyes. His attempt fails though. Lance just pulls him in tighter and a louder sigh escapes the red paladin’s lips. “Lance we’ve been through this before. I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what’s wrong…” Keith hugs him back with the same amount of force and rests his chin on the blue paladin’s shoulder. This is going nowhere so he takes matters into his own hands. “Do you think that Pidge had something to do with me coming to your room the other day?”

      Hesitation.

      Silence.

      It feels like a millennium passes before he gets an answer.

      Lance nods very softly.

      _Finally…_ Keith sighs a little more lightheartedly this time, glad to have gotten an answer out of the stubborn hugger.

      “And are you thinking that she made me do what I did so that you would agree to her plans?” Keith continues and Lance nods again. Keith shakes his head. “You know I would never do that to you. We’re a team. We don’t trick each other to get what we want. That’s cruel. We would never force anyone to do something they didn’t feel comfortable doing. Do you really trust me that little-

      “Then why?!” Lance pushes Keith away with enough force that he tumbles backwards onto the ground and looks up with wide eyes. Lance’s face looks absolutely dreadful. Betrayal, Angst, Anxiety and even Death plague his current facial expression. He looks so… so… Shattered and _scared_. “Why else would you have done that if it wasn’t to just get what you want!?” Lance shouts with tears flooding down his face. He struggles to shout through them and his voice cracks with every sentence he tries to start. Keith’s heart breaks a little more at the sight. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to keep calm much longer. “Why would anyone ever be nice to me if not for that reason?! That’s the _only_ reason someone’s ever been nice to me, kissed me, or held me lovingly! It was if they got something in return! You’re a _liar_ Keith!”

_No._

“A goddamn dirty _liar_! Stop trying to hide it!”

      _Please stop._

Keith’s fists tighten as he watches the teen in front of him crumble to pieces. He feels his own heart start to break simultaneously within his chest. Guilt and pain drag at his body, weigh him down, and make his shaking arm slow as it reaches out towards Lance. He’s moving in slow motion, as if in a nightmare.

      “You’re a scoundrel and a playboy and if I end up falling hard for you, I know that you’ll just end up stabbing me in the back like everyone else in my life has done!”

      _That’s not true I-_

“You’re just like _her_! You don’t care about me! You don’t _love_ me! You only care about yourself and the mission! And I can’t do that again! I can’t! I-!” Lance’s words falter with a yank of his hands away from his face.

      And then…

      _Everything_ is moving in slow motion.

      His descent down into Keith’s outstretched embrace.

      The trail of tears that fly off his cheeks and into the air.

      The fumble over his own two feet.

      And the kiss that Keith pulls him into.

      It all moves so very slowly, but he doesn’t complain.

      The brief pause to his chaotic past few days is a relief of sorts.

      As time resumes however, all his pain and sorrow comes rushing back to him like a dam has just burst. It suffocates him, drowns him in its sorrow. It’s so painful that he doesn’t even have the strength to enjoy the soft and gentle press of Keith’s lips against his. He feels like he’s going to throw up.

      “Mmph…!” Lance weakly struggles against the red paladin’s hold, trying to push him away with the same nonexistent force from before. He can’t though. Not because of his lack of strength, but because he can’t bring himself to.

      It’s soft and sweet and… and loving. The slight brush of Keith’s lips against his brings tears to his eyes, in a good way, and so… he gives in and lets the red paladin smother his already sorrow suffocated self.

      Keith can feel the tension in Lance’s body fade out of existence and jolts as he feels arms wrap around his neck and lips press back willingly.

      _Is he… kissing me back?_ The red paladin questions this and tests out the waters cautiously with another more aggressive kiss. It gets returned after a brief pause on Lance’s part. _Oh my god he is…_ It’s not that he minds, it’s just a shock considering Lance was screaming at him a few seconds ago. _At least he’s calmed down…_ Keith purrs softly as Lance’s hands run up through his hair. He returns the favor and tugs softly on the paladin’s uncombed brown hair. A slight gasp escapes Lance’s lips but it’s immediately muffled by Keith.

      “Shhhh…” Keith coos and peppers kisses along Lance’s jawline. “It’s okay… Do you feel a little better now?” He questions the shaking teen who nods back softly, embarrassed over his actions from before. “Okay then let’s-

      “I’m sorry. All of this is my fault...”

      It only takes two sentences to send Keith’s train of thought hurdling off a cliff.

      “What?” Keith cleans out his ear and furrows his brow. Had he just heard that correctly? Did Lance really just apologize to him? WILLINGLY?! “I-I’m sorry. Did you just say-

      “That I’m sorry?” Lance bites his lip and mutters, “Yes…”

      Keith is speechless and has the most vacant expression one could have plastered on his face. He doesn’t know whether or not to scream up to the high heavens in thanks or to bite his tongue and burrow his way down to hell to avoid the apocalypse.

      _This could be a trap-_

      “Hunk told me that what I had been thinking wasn’t true. That Pidge had broken down crying because she had hurt my feelings. And that she’d sent you to see how I was doing. To see if you could cheer me up.” The blue paladin wipes his tears from his eyes but doesn’t return his gaze back up to Keith. He looks down at the twiddling of his own thumbs and goes to continue but is cut off by his opposite.

      “Hunk was listening?” Keith says softly and smiles. “Thank god… I’ve never been so happy that someone eavesdropped on my conversation.” They both look at each other and stifle a laugh. The tension that had originally been surrounding the two is slowly dissipating into the castle walls. “You’re right, well, Hunk was right Lance. That’s exactly what happened. And it’s not just you’re fault. I’m to blame too. I should’ve explained myself first before I came into your room. This wouldn’t have happened if-

      “I hadn’t jumped to conclusions.” Lance puts his hand up to stop Keith and smiles painfully. He knows that it’s he who has done wrong and not Keith. And quite frankly, he’s not afraid to own up to it anymore. “I’m sorry Keith. It was wrong of me to reflect my past onto you.” He leans in and cups the red paladin’s cheek, presses their foreheads together and flutters his eyes closed. He can hear Keith’s heartbeat now more than ever. It’s like the ticking of a clock; relaxing and rhythmic, predictably soothing… “You’re nothing like her. _Nothing_. And this moment right now proves it. If you’d been like her, you wouldn’t have searched for me to apologize and wouldn’t have offered to listen to me either.”

      The fluttering open of eyes and tensing of a hand against a cheek, and Keith is putty in Lance’s callused hands.

      Eyes search one another for a sign.

      Lance finds his, a flicker of excitement in Keith’s, and very slowly leans in for a kiss. The red paladin blushes deeply and opens his mouth to protest a willing kiss in the middle of a public hallway but changes his mind with two simple words.

      “Thank you, Keith.” Lance murmurs hotly against Keith’s lips and Keith can’t take it anymore. Lance is just too cute.

      He yanks the blue paladin’s waist and with a squeak, their lips mesh to one another. A hum and a purr produce in the back of Keith’s throat. How he loves the feel of Lance’s lips against his. They’re soft and timid but at the same time edgy with lust and eagerness to continue.

      Once halted hands begin to scour again over tight shoulders, chiseled chests and toned thighs. Lance’s impressed. Keith must’ve been working out a lot more over the past few days since their fight in order to pass the time or forget about their argument. That last thought hurts him but his mind doesn’t stay cognitive long enough for him to dwell on it. Keith’s lips have ripped all and any thoughts from his mind, leaving him under the full control of his emotions. And his emotions are telling him to give in. So… he does.

      Kiss after kiss, stifled breath after stifled breath; it doesn’t take long before the two are both red in the face and hot and bothered.

      “You’re… a really good kisser…” Lance mutters with a pout and Keith’s eyes widen before he bursts out laughing.

      “Thank you?” The red paladin chuckles and Lance blush reaches nuclear threat levels.

      “D-Don’t get cocky now though just because you’re good at locking lips! I-I have to make up for you sometimes-

      “Lance…” There are no more words after the blue paladin sees the look in Keith’s eyes.

      Sultry, lustful, dominating.

      His expression shuts Lance down and metaphorically lays him on his back like a submissive dog in front of his alpha. This could go a lot further than he had intended it to if he doesn’t-

      “Lance! Keith! Please report to your rooms immediately! Lance and Keith, please report to your rooms immediately! The preparations for tonight’s mission are complete! It’s time to get a move on! ” Pidge’s voice blares over the castle intercoms so loudly that the two have to smash their hands against their ears so they don’t go deaf. They’ve told her a thousand times that the intercom already magnifies her voice so she doesn’t have to yell but she never listens. “Thank you!” She says sweetly. A tiny click to hang up and the hallway is silent again. Nothing is heard but the two’s heartbeats and heavy breathing.

      Eyes meet.

      Kiss swollen lips are licked.

      It’s a tiny bit awkward again now, but a small smile on Lance’s part eases it.

      “Looks like it’s Showtime.” He smiles and helps himself up off of Keith’s lap, brushes himself off. “You ready my beautiful wife?” He winks suavely down at Keith who accepts the hand that Lance has offered him.

      With a furrowed brow Keith stands and grunts, “I swear to god if you were to call me that any other time than now we’d be battling it out in the practice room and I’d be kicking your ass.”

      “Who’d be kicking whose ass?” Lance crosses his arms smugly and the two have a brief stern stare off before erupting into stomach turning laughter.

      Happy to have their argument behind them and eager to start their mission, with one last kiss on the cheek for both parties, their held hands slowly part ways to their separate rooms. It’s time to get dressed up for Zarkon’s ball.

      They’ve put together their back-up plans.

      They’ve manufactured disguises.

      They’ve reformed their bonds with each other.

      And they’ve run through almost every possible scenario that could happen.

      But nothing could’ve prepared them for what was to come.

      Nothing could’ve saved him from-

 

*8hob09789HJBHJiykj- _End/_ **Transmission** ~N=NKBsb;l’asdJHih909099jnkjn*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zarkon's ball starts in the next chapter! There are only 3-4 more chapters left but I hope you all will stay with me through this! :)
> 
> Comment, Kudo or Subscribe! ^w^ You do you!
> 
> Thank You for reading! And I will see you all in the next Chapter! I'm sure you'll like it too! ;) lots of awkward bits and pieces and Keith humiliates himself by dancing in a dress that's wayyyyyy too long and bulky for his liking Lol

**Author's Note:**

> For Zizzani.Tumblr.com  
> ...  
> Love You Babe! <3  
> ...  
> Due To An OverWhelming Response To This Fic I Will Be Continuing It In My Free Time! ^w^ Thanks!  
> ...  
> Other Places You Can Find Me:  
> all-aboard-the-feelz-train.tumblr.com  
> Instagram: kitkatchatblanc


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